Tokyo governor Koike, a PM Abe rival, takes tough stance on coronavirus

FILE PHOTO: Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike attends a news conference on Tokyo?s response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan, April 10, 2020. REUTERS/Issei Kato

TOKYO (Reuters) - With blunt warnings, flip-charts and daily online briefings, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike has been delivering a tough message to the Japanese capital's residents and shops: stay home and shut down to avert an explosive outbreak of the coronavirus.

Koike, 67, was once floated as a future premier. And her no-nonsense approach to the pathogen's threat highlights what critics say is a timid, sluggish response by her longtime rival, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.